Occupational Therapist
Witney
Full Time
£39,959 - £48,117 pro rata | per annum
Expires: 19/11/2026
Band 6
Permanent
About the Role
Job overview
Could your occupational therapy expertise help transform the lives of older people living in care homes through both rehabilitation and dementia-focused support?
We are excited for an Occupational Therapist to join our Care Home Support Team in a dual-purpose role. Combining physical rehabilitation and mental health practice, this position offers the chance to make a real difference to vulnerable residents.
You will manage physical and mental health caseloads, supporting older people with rehabilitation needs, including those recently discharged from hospital, while improving the wellbeing of residents living with dementia. Working closely with care home staff, you will use a formulation-based approach to develop psychosocial interventions that enhance quality of life and promote person-centred care.
You will provide assessment, intervention, advice and guidance to residents, families and staff. Training and support will be provided to develop the skills required for the mental health aspects of the role.
Our multidisciplinary team includes nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, mental health clinicians, nursing associates and administrators, working together to improve outcomes for people living in care homes. Help shape a growing service and support innovation and improvement across care homes.
Applicants must have a full valid driving licence and have access to a vehicle for work. Adjustments can be considered in line with the Equality Act 2010 where required.
Main duties of the job
- Provide expert manual handling, mobility, positioning and postural management advice to care homes to reduce falls, improve safety and prevent contractures.
- Assess residents' mobility, seating and manual handling needs, providing recommendations, follow up support and referrals to specialist seating, rehabilitation or prosthetic services where appropriate.
- Manage a caseload across physical health and mental health pathways within the Care Home Support Service.
- Work with care home staff and Oxford Health services to assess residents living with dementia who present with behaviours that challenge.
- Develop and implement psychosocial care plans that address unmet needs and promote wellbeing for residents with dementia.
- Liaise with and refer to Oxford Health services, including CTS and CMHT, and wider NHS services to ensure residents receive appropriate support.
- Assess, plan and deliver person-centred programmes of care and therapy.
- Take responsibility for effective caseload and time management, ensuring a responsive and high quality service.
- Provide education, advice and training to care home staff and Care Home Support Service colleagues to build knowledge, confidence and capability.
- Support the aims of the Care Home Support Service by promoting collaborative working, reducing unnecessary hospital admissions and improving residents' wellbeing and quality of life.
Give yourself the best chance of success by reviewing our Applicant Guide before applying.
Working for our organisation
Oxford Health is a great place to work and to be able to showcase the best of yourself when making an application please read the “candidate guide to making an application” and ensure your supporting statement is tailored to the role you are applying for and addresses any essential criteria.
As a Trust we provide physical, mental health and social care for people of all ages across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Swindon, Wiltshire, Bath and Northeast Somerset. Our services are delivered at community bases, hospitals, clinics and people’s homes, delivering care as close to home as possible.
Our vision is that no matter who you are or where you are, you will tell us that you receive: “Outstanding care delivered by an outstanding team”
Our values are: “Caring, safe and excellent”
We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support your career and wellbeing. These include:
- Excellent opportunities for career progression
- Access to tailored individual and Trust wide learning and development
- 27 days annual leave, plus bank holidays, rising to 33 days with continuous service
- NHS Discount across a wide range of shops, restaurants and retailers
- Competitive pension scheme
- Lease car scheme
- Cycle to work scheme
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Mental Health First Aiders
- Staff accommodation (please note waiting lists apply)
- Staff networking and support groups hosted by our Equality, Diversity & Inclusion team
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
We hope that the advert has given you a clear understanding of the skills we are seeking and the opportunity at hand. You will need to use the “supporting statement” element of your application form to demonstrate your suitability for this role and you should refer to the job description, person specification and the guidance notes attached to this role to help you tailor your application.
The essential and desirable criteria will be used to shortlist for interview and you should ensure that you refer to these within your application to increase your chances of being selected for interview.
We are aware that some candidates may choose to use AI tools to support their application. We kindly remind applicants that submissions should remain an honest and accurate representation of their experience and must take care to ensure the use of AI tools does not generate an application that does not accurately reflect their knowledge, skills and values.
Person specification
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience working with older adults
Desirable criteria
- Experience working in the community
- Experience working with people living with dementia
Knowledge
Essential criteria
- Evidence of knowledge/understanding of a range of conditions affecting older adults
Experience
Essential criteria
- Experience of working in a multidisciplinary team
Skills
Essential criteria
- Evidence of use of assessments (formal/informal tools) in practice
Documents to Download
Job Description and Person Spec (PDF, 240.4KB)
Guidance Notes for Candidates Applying for a job at OHFT (PDF, 424.6KB)
Recruiter Contact Details
Name: Chloë McKay
Title: Clinical Lead (Occupational Therapist)
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: 07557587929